At a Glance
• Wilson, 35, and Peiru, 32, both working in the banking industry
• Size: 99sqm / 1065sqft
• Location: SkyTerrace @ Dawson
• Cost of Renovation: $60,000
• Cost of Furnishing & Appliances: $40,000
• Interior Design Firm: Mr Shopper Studio
Desiring a chic and modern hotel themed home, Wilson and Peiru turned to Ben from Mr Shopper Studio to take charge of the renovation and the furniture sourcing for them. Find out whether the $100,000 which they spent on their home was worth it for the hassle-free renovation journey that they had.
Qanvast: Was it an easy decision to enlist the services of Mr Shopper Studio?
Wilson (W): Yes. We came across Mr Shopper Studio while doing our research on interior designers using the Qanvast app. We felt that their designs were aligned with our preferences – stylish, clean and refined.
They were also really different from the other interior designers that we had met. Their selling point is very unique as they will help to source for furnishings on top of renovating your home.
Qanvast: Besides searching for interior designers, what else did you use the Qanvast app for?
W: Checking out reviews. What I like best about Qanvast are the honest reviews by homeowners who have gone through the renovation process with the interior designers and are able to weigh in on their expertise in handling the renovation.
The filters on Qanvast are another handy feature. Being able to shortlist projects by location was very useful for me as I could see the designs of other SkyTerrace @ Dawson projects and see how the space was utilised in the house. Since some of the units have similar layout, this was very relevant to my understanding of how I could work with the design of my home.
Qanvast: Why did you decide on a ‘hotel’ theme for your home?
W: We intend to use this place as our weekend home so we wanted something that feels modern and luxurious. As we stay with our parents on the weekdays, we want this place to be somewhere that we can head to for a staycation-like getaway.
Qanvast: Tell us about a unique design idea which Ben implemented in your home?
W: At first, we were thinking of doing up a walk-in wardrobe. Ben refined this idea and proposed a walk-in bedroom concept. So when you walk into our bedroom, you will see the wardrobes but not the bed.
It’s a reverse concept from the usual walk-in wardrobes that most homeowners do. Ben came up with this after learning about my fengshui preferences for our head to be facing the east while sleeping. I remember that we were really impressed by this idea when he presented the 3D drawing to us. In fact, it was what convinced us to engage him as our interior designer.
Qanvast: Is this your favourite part of your home?
W: Yes. We love it. It’s very luxurious.
Peiru (P): Whenever we are in the bedroom, it always feels as though we are in a hotel as it’s very grand. Actually, I like every single part of the house since it really evokes the hotel theme very well.
Qanvast: Can you tell us more about how the furnishing services at Mr Shopper Studio eased your renovation journey?
W: Their furnishing services made our renovation experience hassle-free. We gave Ben our budget and he would do the budgeting and allocate the amounts for the various furniture and furnishings he needed to purchase. He would then set about sourcing for furniture and compile a shortlisted lit of furniture for us to choose from. That was really helpful as we lack the design expertise and needed someone to help us to choose furniture that would complement the theme nicely.
Qanvast: So how did you find their furnishing services?
W: It is definitely a good service. At the start, Ben gave us a survey to do so that he could determine our design preferences before he began the furniture selection process. When it came time for furniture selection, he would give us a choice among – for example – ten different sofas from various stores and ask us to pick one that we like. Interestingly, no matter which design we picked, it would complement the overall design of the home.
Qanvast: How was it like working with Ben?
W: He is very committed. He would make sure to always keep us updated about the renovation progress via the group chat that we were in. There was also once that he stayed until about 4am at night to sort out some painting issues that had cropped up. By the next morning, everything was settled.
P: He was also very patient with us. There were some things which we did not like in the original 3D drawings so he had to make amendments a couple of times. We felt that he was very passionate about our project. It was as though the renovations were being done for his own home.
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